This invention has to do with walking aids and is more particularly concerned with decorative and protective covers for walking aids.
It is not uncommon that people require mechanical devices to lend them aid and support while they are walking. The need for such devices or walking aids is brought about by any one or more of a multitude of causes or reasons. For example, the need for such devices might be brought about by physical injury to one's legs and/or back, by arthritis or other diseases which impair and/or limit joint movement, muscular strength, impairment of one's senses of balance and the like.
The most common and familiar walking aid device or devices are crutches and canes. In recent years, other devices, such as tripod canes and quadripod or four-leg walkers have been developed and are finding great favor and ever-increasing popularity among those who require the aid of such devices.
In fact, with the advent of tripod walking canes, that is, canes with three short downwardly divergent legs, which provide stable and sure ground engagement, the simple monopod type of cane is fast losing favor and its use is being substantially restricted to those who would carry a cane for cosmetic purposes, rather than for a genuine need for a walking aid.
In the past, crutches and canes have been commonly made of wood. In more recent years, the use of metal, such as aluminum tubing, channel sections and the like have become more common in the establishment of walking aids, particularly those more recently developed aids referred to in the preceding paragraphs.
As is well known, but for certain old fashioned monopod walking canes, walking aids are obviously utilitarian devices which are not simply unattractive, but are possessed with adverse aesthetic attributes.
As a general rule, due to the rather rough and abusive treatment to which such devices are unavoidably subjected, they are most commonly found in a rather battered and scarred condition, which adds to their unattractiveness.
In the case of the more modern walking aids, there are many circumstances and places where they cannot be safely used due to their electrical conductivity and/or due to their capacity to strike sparks when struck against other objects. As a result of the foregoing, many persons recovering from injuries or the like and requiring the use of walking aids, while capable of pursuing their work and livelihood, are prevented from doing so simply because of the potential hazard created by their walking aids.
In the case of the ordinary or common form of crutch, a plurality of exposed bolt-heads, wing-nuts and the like, provided to facilitate adjusting the vertical height of the crutches, and to facilitate adjusting the vertical spacing between the crutch pad and hand-grip, are ordinarily presented. Such exposed fasteners and the like, in addition to being unattractive, are subject to engaging and/or catching on other objects and things including the person using the aids and having great potential to cause unforeseeable injury and/or damage.
An object and feature of my invention is to provide a novel decorative and/or protective cover for walking aids.
It is another object and feature of my invention to provide a cover of the general character referred to which is such that it particularly lends itself to being established of attractive and/or decorative fabrics and is such that it neatly covers its related walking aid to effectively shroud and obscure the aid and to detract from its otherwise obvious mechanical and/or utilitarian appearance.
It is an object and feature of this invention to provide a cover or covers or the character referred to established of electrical and/or heat insulating and impact cushioning fabric, whereby the walking aid or aids with which the covers are related can be safely and effectively used in areas where the use of such aids, without covers as here provided, would be hazardous.
Another object and feature of my invention is to provide a fabric walking aid cover of the character referred to above which is such that it can be easily and quickly related to and removed from a related walking aid and is such that it adjusts or is readily and conveniently related to substantially all walking aids of the type or class for which it is intended and which are adjusted and set for persons of different size.
Still another object and feature of my invention is to provide a walking aid cover comprising a plurality of intersecting fabric tube portions engaged about related intersecting legs, bridges, rails and the like of related walking aids, and wherein certain of said tube portions are split to facilitate their engagement about related portions of related walking aids and which are provided with releasable fastening means which are coextensive with the split edges of said split tube portions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cover of the character referred to wherein the fabric is stretchable and such that it is engaged in snug biased relationship with the walking aid so as to be free of unattractive sags, wrinkles, slumps and the like.
Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide a structure of the character referred to wherein a releasable fastening means is that form of fastening means comprising fabric strips with interengageable hook and loop pile, sold under the trademark "VELCRO", which is releasably fastenable at selective locations throughout the area of the opposing strips and which is such that lateral and/or longitudinal shifting of the opposing strips to effect adjustment of the covers to related portions of the walking aids is permissible.